HTTPS: Beginners Guide

So, what is HTTPS?

In an age where computers make the world go around and almost everyone has access to the internet, having secure communication links is an absolute must, and HTTPS does just that! Now for those who don’t know, HTTP stands for ‘Hyper Text Transfer Protocol’ and it’s what allows you to use the internet and communicate with servers on a global scale. If you were to go back a couple of years, HTTP would have been the industry standard protocol to use, but nowadays it’s becoming outdated and old with HTTPS taking its place. Though the ‘S’ (standing for secure) at the end of ‘HTTPS’ might give the impression that it’s more elaborate, yet it has quite a simple function, and that’s to encrypt all the data that’s being communicated between any two mediums using the HTTP protocol.

Many people may make the mistake and look at HTTPS as some form of firewall or anti-virus that will prevent your website from being hacked, but it’s not that complex. HTTPS will not prevent certain shady individuals from illegally getting access to your websites, but it will prevent anyone from intercepting information that you send. Whenever you use the internet and input a password to gain access to your favourite website, you send packets of information to the server and these packets can be stolen, revealing your password to the perpetrator. HTTPS prevents attacks like these from ever happening to both the client and the server that the information is being requested from.

Having encryption on all the information that is shared between you and a server is great, but it’s not the only advantage that you can enjoy. There is a plethora of perks and benefits to be had, which we’ll be covering in the following sections, as well as how to set this all up!

Perks to having HTTPS:

Trust – Most, if not all, of the bigger websites that you may find (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc.) are HTTPS protected, and the people that use these websites have probably all realized this by now. You may have noticed the little lock that appears at the top in the URL search bar when you access these sites, which means that you are under HTTPS protection.

Having one of these locks at the top of your screen not only provides some security, it also allows you to build trust with your clients. As an end user accessing a website, there’s nothing more comforting than seeing that lock proudly displayed at the top of your page!

It will boost your SEO – If you’re at all familiar with how SEO works and the challenges that you may face trying to get to the number one spot on google, then this one is for you! Over the last couple of years, more and more websites have started to migrate to HTTPS, and Google has noticed this trend. There’s some recent evidence that suggests that Google may look more favourably on your website, in terms of search engine ranking, if you have the HTTPS certification. Google is using its huge platform to make HTTPS an industry standard, meant to protect both clients and website owners from any malicious intent. The evidence also predicts that as time will progress, not having HTTPS could have some seriously negative implications on your SEO results.

It gives you some protection from future redundancy– Security is becoming more of a talking point than ever before, and will continue to rise in popularity as technology and hackers are becoming more complex. Having HTTPS is not the be-all-end-all of website security, it should be the bare minimum. Meaning that if you don’t have it, you’re already falling behind. No one knows what the future may hold for website owners, but one thing we know for sure is that soon, having HTTPS will be an absolute prerequisite! So, it might be a promising idea to upgrade sooner rather than later.

How to set it all up

If you’ve decided that you need an SSL/HTTPS certification and you’re wondering what the next step is, then this part is for you!

The first step in this process is to familiarise yourself with the various differing types of SSL (HTTPS) certifications that are out there. Each of these certifications have their own specific uses and come at varying costs to the end user, so it’s important to really consider what’s best for your site now, as well as the future. For a full and comprehensive guide on which certification is best for you, click here to find out more.

Once you’ve decided on the certification that best suits your current website and its future goals, it’s time to start the certifications implementation! This process can often be complex and daunting, especially for those not familiar with server operating systems and how they function, so to help ease the process here’s a step by step guide.

We’re here if you need any more help!

To recap, we’ve covered what HTTPS/SSL certifications do, how they work and how they’ll benefit any website that decides to get the upgrade! From added security to winning over clients with trust and security, SSL/HTTPS certifications are the future of the internet and hopefully your website too.

If you need any help with the implementation of your new SSL certificate, or if you’re in need of some help choosing which certificate is right for you, then Talk Digital is here to help! Contact us through email for a speedy response Here, or alternatively give us a call on 1800 34 433.

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